A conventional pivoting slide bearing is described in GB Patent No. 1,064,597. This design utilizes a slide sleeve (intermediate bush 2) that is circumferentially pressed by an outer supporting sleeve (rubber jacket 5) against an inner sleeve (bush 1) formed by a bushing. The slide sleeve is provided with a longitudinal slit (11) to facilitate a good sliding fit between the inner sleeve and sliding sleeve. A disadvantage of this design is that its load bearing capacity varies depending on the orientation of the longitudinal slit after the bearing has been installed. It may be possible to reduce variation in the load bearing capacity by providing a helical longitudinal slit; however, this would entail increased manufacturing costs.
U.S. Pat. 4,767,108, the text of which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a pivoting slide bearing that incorporates a sliding sleeve in the form of a pair of plastic bushings (18,18) that are circumferentially continuous and compressed against an inner sleeve. This design does not require a longitudinal slit to provide a sliding fit because the inside diameter of the sliding sleeve is sized with respect to the outer diameter of the inner sleeve to provide a clearance that permits relative rotation. However, the sliding sleeve in this design can wear quickly causing undesirable enlargement of the clearance. In automobile suspension/steering mechanisms such an enlarged clearance (play) can, for example, lead to rattling noises when the vehicle is driven over bumps in the road.